The mosque was built between the years of 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmed I. He was buried in the mosque's precincts. In what was before 1453 the centre of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. It is next to the site of the ancient Hippodrome, not too far from what used to be the Christian Church of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) which has now been converted into a museum.
The most important element in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and sculptured marble, the adjacent walls sheathed in ceramic tiles. To the right of the mihrab is the minber, or pulpit, where the Imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days. The mosque has been designed so that even when it is at its most crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and hear the Imam.
The Blue Mosque
The mosque was built between the years of 1609 and 1616 by Sultan Ahmed I. He was buried in the mosque's precincts. In what was before 1453 the centre of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. It is next to the site of the ancient Hippodrome, not too far from what used to be the Christian Church of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) which has now been converted into a museum.
The most important element in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and sculptured marble, the adjacent walls sheathed in ceramic tiles. To the right of the mihrab is the minber, or pulpit, where the Imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days. The mosque has been designed so that even when it is at its most crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and hear the Imam.
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